Vera's POV

My blood was hot. Parts of me were warm and wet with blood. Bones ached and my stomach was so tight it felt like it was shrinking inside of me. I looked at the backpack. It held the supplies my brother needed to burn out the leeches… and to enforce the castle. It held the key for his survival. But they wouldn't make it to him. We had gotten so far but we couldn't do it. Or at least I couldn't. I was moving to fast… i wasn't resting. I wasn't giving my body enough time to cure itself from the last bite. I could feel it in my blood… my veins, tearing muscles down. It felt think and painful. The more blood I pumped from running and adrenaline the thicker it seemed to get. I knew I was losing this fight. I knew I would lose. I would have to trust a stranger to save my brother. I looked at Dani. I had only met him three days ago and he had been a stranger then. Was he a stranger now? He had caught a glimpse of hyper mode. He was afraid of it… afraid of me. i could see it in his eyes. But he did not run. I had locked him in the pipe room for his own good… to save him from the infected and save him from me. But he had fought back and suddenly appeared in the doorway of the room. I was slipping and I knew that he could tell by the way he gripped his gun, and watched my every movement. Bu he did not run. I had felt the cold hand around my heart I lost the strength to fight off the thought of killing him. It grew in my mind and I saw my hand go for my gun, deciding to go for the head. But he did not leave me. I remember pain and suddenly my vision sharpened. Dani was on his feet his rifle to his shoulder as he aimed at him. He didn't leave… he waited.

And then I told him. I told him I wouldn't make it. I told him what I myself didn't want to believe. I told him he had to go on without me. He had to leave if he wanted to live. He had refused. He pulled me to my feet, daring to touch me. Did he not know I could kill him? That at any moment I could give into the death that haunted my blood and sink my teeth or nails into his flesh?

He told me had had a plan. Operation Two by Two. Which consisted of ditching any stealth I had left in me. It was go big or go home. But I didn't have the energy. I wanted to tell him that. I wanted to tell him that I didn't think I could do it. I knew my limits… they were high. I could push myself to 150% if i wanted. I could take care of myself. But as of right now… the gas tank was empty. I had nothing left to run on. I had to convince him that he had to leave.

And that's when I had intended to do. I looked at him as he waited for my answer. His eyes were bright and hopeful, looking into mine. I saw the fear in his eyes again. Suddenly I realized, it was not the fear I had originally thought it was. He wasn't afraid of me. He was afraid of loosing me. That fear that swam in his eyes that I would refuse his offer… that I would give up.

At that point, I'm not sure what had happened. I was still trying to retain the fact that I had agreed. It was all very hazy. I could feel the energy begin to restore itself. I could feel my body healing. By the time my brain focused enough, we were outside the bank. I could still taste blood in my mouth, and my lungs still ached. I realized I was being led by the hand towards a large dumpster truck.

Dani let go of my hand, and checked the truck while I watched the streets.

"Vera…" Dani called my name for the third time. I looked back at him, dragging my eyes away from the empty streets. He was holding the passenger door open.

"THIS is your idea of Noah's ark?" I said. Dani hesitated, only momentarily confused. And then he smiled.

"If you want luxury…" he started. I glanced one more time at the streets and headed for the truck. I put a firm foot up and pulled myself up, my head suddenly going light. I fell backwards onto my feet again, knocking into Dani. I heard him gasp as I bumped his bad arm.

"Sorry." I siad, putting a hand to my head, "Ok?"

"Man you owe me some seriously delicious chili after this…" he said. "I don't think I can drive.." I looked at his hand. it was barley able to grip the pistol. I nodded and climbed into the driver seat.

"Can you drive stick?" He asked me.

"I think so…" I said, "Keys?" I ran my hands across the visor and along the seat.

"What you can't hot-wire it?" Dani teased. I squinted accusingly at him. "Scoot." Dani went down towards my legs and pulled the dash cover off. I climbed back out of the way as he pulled the wires down.

"You can hot-wire?" i asked.

"How do you think we got the jeep?" he said. Suddenly the truck roared to life. "We're good!" Dani sat back up. I set it into gear and hit the gas.

It wasn't long before i could hear the gargled screams. I glanced in the side mirror.

"Ever get that feeling your being followed?" I said.

"Ya when you're…" Dani looked back, "Oh… we've got fans." Dani pulled out another grenade, but I stopped him.

"Save it. If we have a road block we'll have to use it." I said. Dani nodded and sat back down.

"You know your way out of town?" He asked watching his side mirror carefully.

"Yes I have the place memorized so when…" Suddenly something large and heavy fell from above and onto the windshield. The window shattered, and I swerved. I covered my eyes with my arm, while still trying to drive. Dani stood up in the cab and kicked the shattered window out, along with the dead infected off the hood. I looked up at the roofs.

"What they're jumping now?" I hissed. "Give us a break!" Dani pulled the rifle around and looked through the scope.

"Left!" He yelled.

"What GO left or they are no the left?" i screamed back at him.

"Turn turn! Turn left!" He yelled. I swerved left, dodging an electric company truck. I heard a thump on Dani's side outside on the pavement.

"Right!" Dani screamed. I swerved right…. "LEFT!" I barley had time to pull out of my right turn before another one dropped on the hood of our truck. The thing clamped onto the hood, and screamed at us. Dani fired and it's body collapsed on the hood with a thunk. Dani used the butt of his gun to slide it off. I took a turn on the street that lead to Les Schwab.

"We have to make a run for the jeep… this truck won't make it through the woods…" I said. Dani leaned out the window, and took a few shots at the nearest infected. I saw the bodies roll to a stop, only distracting a few other infected for a chow down. He shot off a few more, shrinking the gargling crowd running after us.

I saw Les Schwab up ahead… and the garage we had parked the jeep in.

"Hang on!" I yelled, seeing a bit of a problem up ahead. A toyota truck was blocking the road, but instead of hitting the breaks, I pushed harder on the gas. The truck was on its side… apparently it had already been bashed into.

I slammed on the breaks and grabbed the backpack from the seat. I ran for the jeep and yanked at the doors… locked? I looked back at Dani. He had jumped out of the truck and went down on one knee, rifle to his shoulder, facing the crowd of infected coming down the street.

"Dani!" I yelled at him. "Dani what are you doing!" I heard him fire. He cocked it again and fired again. "DANI!" Another shot rang out and suddenly I saw the toyota blossom in fire and flame, exploding with a loud noise that vibrated my chest. The screams of the infected were drown out, and Dani jogged over and unlocked the car.

"Going out with a bang…" He said with a smile. I hesitated, and couldn't help but see a little of my brother in him. Cracking a joke with a smile in a dire situation. I always thought Alex did it to help calm me down. I felt my nerves relax a little and smiled back. We both loaded up and Dani pulled out. We were on the freeway in a few minutes, and passed the congestion of cars that filled the fist five miles. Not a single sign of the infected the whole time. We got to the woods and turned into the tree line, Dani remembering the way back almost perfectly. I was tired… and i could smell the sweat and blood from both of us. I saw the beginning of bags under Dani's eyes, as he watched the woods ahead of us, weaving around trees. I scanned the woods around us looking for any movement. A few ghostly eyes of a fox or coon, but nothing dead.

Everything was still wet from the rain, but Dani seemed to handle the jeep just fine in the mud, fishtailing only once to avoid a boulder and blowing a tire.

I tried to keep calm. Tried to keep awful scenarios from running through my mind. Was Alex ok? Was he safe? Maybe Alex was locked up again? Or maybe Adam was really as rotten as i though him to be and he fed them to the infected.

"You think… you think the others are ok?" I asked. "We've been gone longer then we planned…"

"I'm sure they're fine." Dani said, "I'm not about to underestimate your brother and I know the guys can handle themselves."

"This Adam guy… will he hurt them?"

"I don't know. If they cause trouble he'll retaliate just like anyone else would…"

"But…" I pushed. Dani glance uneasily at me.

"I'm gonna have a serious talk with Les Schwab when we get home. The steering is loose and the brakes are shy…" Dani said. My chest tightened.